Bike Packing

We did it! It's our very first time bike-packing! We have been talking about thhis for some time and Daddy surprised Ethan today, who was so excited about this special outing. 

Daddy has been researching for some time and tomorrow Ethan has no school, so Daddy came home early and after a snack we left home at about 6.30pm. 

The fact that we biked with all our stuff made it all the more exciting! I squeezed a 2 man tent, bedding, clothes and food onto my Brompton. I am so pleased that my huge saddlebag is getting good use too! All the learning and research is paying off!

Our first stop was to put some food into Ethan cos it was kinda late already. So we ate on the park bench at Gardens by the Bay East. "Take a picture Daddy!" requested Ethan. 

Not bad for cycling from home eh? We finished half our pasta and then pressed on toward East Coast Park. By this time it was quite dark and we were moving on mostly sidewalks, so we were slow and careful. Ethan handled his bike very well. We reached East Coast and cycled into Area D where we pitched our tent. fortunately we had a super bright Li-Ion flashlight which even allowed me to take this photo of our seaside haven. 

Of course, it's grainy but our setting really is beautiful. Ethan is having a grand time. We finished our dinner, showered, brushed teeth and bedded down for night. Lots of cuddles and chats and looking forward to Burger King breakfast in the morning!

Ethan is sleeping soundly as I write this. I can hear waves rolling onto the beach. An occasional toot of a ship marks the night. There is only one other tent in sight and the three girls there are quiet. The weather is a cool 27 deg with a chance of rain in the early morning hours. It is fantastic, peaceful, and very comfortable! Why is it so comfortable? Must be that queen sized air mattress with bedsheet that I managed to fit into my Brompton touring bag! :)

It's been great so far. We will definitely do this again. I need a lighter sleeping pad, an alcohol stove to cook on site, and coins for that vending machine nearby! Notes for next time: BYO toilet paper, garbage bag to cover Brompton for security and rain protection, better organize clothes, slightly warmer top, blanket or a sleeping of some kind for Ethan. Temp was a very cool 27 deg. 

Saturday Morning Cycling

Daddy hasn't been cycling with the kids for quite a few weeks, so it's a great outing today! Talia remembers how she cycling all the way home from MBS by herself, so she wanted to ride "by herself" today. 

Here we are coming up Shenton Way. Ethan was an excellent sweeper and they know my signs for stop, slow, and 2 up quite well! 

At the Marina Barrage bridge we stopped to see a Police boat being hoisted over the bridge into Marina Bay for the NDP coming this weekend. Quite a sight to see even a small boat being lifted over the bridge. "This bridge doesn't go up," remarked Ethan. "The boats go over."

Eventually, Talia got tired and I pulled her along. Those hubs and coaster brakes on her Specialized Hotrock 16 sure have some friction in them! I expended a fair amount of energy pulling her at 20 kph with Ethan keeping pace. Ethan can now handle 40km over half a day, so when Talia graduates to Ethan's bike, I think we can do 50km/day bike holidays with me pulling Talia on Ethan's Fuji 20. 

Talia's energy ran out very quickly. We would definitely need a carrier or seat of some sorts for her to be on a family tour. Her mood immediately perked up when we got to our cafe stop however. Ethan requested a green tea frappucino, an expensive indulgence Daddy doesn't mind once in a while, as all of us share and enjoy it very much! :)

Brain freeze and loving it!! Even better, the kids become very amenable to doing homework in a nice cafe. Look at these studious little ones enjoying learning amidst bayside views at One Fullerton, Starbucks.... Cost = $8 for all 3 of us!

Daddy tutored in fractions (which Ethan seems to have a good handle on) and gives good marks too! :)

All that was left was lunch at Lau Pa Sat and a short ride home. In 32 days, Mummy and Daddy leave for Paris to ride the Veloscenic to Mont St Michel. I am already thinking of making a second trip there with the kids, enabling them to ride the same 400km route. 

The Gift of Fatherhood

It’s almost unfair how much influence I wield as a father to my young children. My wife spends more time with them, sacrifices more for them, yet the moment I step through the door I am greeted with, “Daddy’s home!” and am showered with adulation. All the love I invested in them as babies and toddlers are now being returned a hundredfold! They love me wholeheartedly with every fibre of their being. I can scold them fiercely until they are in tears, then not 10 minutes later explain that Daddy disciplines because I love them -- they collapse in my arms, restored and relieved. I know this kind of relationship is for this precious season, so I am unhurriedly savouring it.

I am convinced that this adoring early season of fathering is God’s gift, because I am immensely enjoying guiding my son and daughter. “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prv 22:6). In this season of childhood, if I am willing to invest time, it easy to love, embrace, bond, and thus guide and train my children. I need to dig my foundations deep now, because I know the environment of fathering will get more difficult in coming years. When my son finds his wings, I want him to depart from my arms and my home, yet not depart from the ways of God and the Scripture I am teaching him now.

MoneySmart and Asian Parent recently estimated the cost of raising one child in Singapore until completing secondary school at $280,000-$340,000. While pragmatists wonder whether parenting is worth it, I am encouraged by the new generation of fathers I see. We have heeded the research about the importance of fathers, we know love is spelled T.I.M.E., and we have bathed, fed, told stories, and played with our children. We know that materialism is fleeting, and we are listening to the advice of involved fathers and spiritual leaders we respect. We are not doing this with gritted teeth, because we have already tasted the joys of fatherhood. The wisdom of Scripture and godly advice is already blessing me as I obey.

What is my reflection on the price of children this Father's Day? $340,000 is a bargain for the return I am getting. I'll take two please.

 

Plating and Prettiness

Ethan loves his Ipoh hor fun chicken noodles that Mum cooks at home. He painstakingly plated it and wanted to take this picture! 

Talia is not so particular about her food arrangement, preferring to doll up the photo with her own prettiness!

Sunday Bike Outing

A quick unplanned jaunt on a Sunday afternoon turned into a great
Daddy time. The kids napped in the car on the way back from church, so
were ready for a quick outing on a cool windy day.

Cycling Day

We turned Boxing Day into Cycling Day with a short morning ride to
Marina Barrage. Daddy managed to snap this picture of all of us as we
zoomed past these windows at Marina Bay Sands.

City Bus Outing

Talia expectantly hugged me this morning and whispered that we are having a Daddy Daughter Date today. I laughed and gently reminded her that Ethan is coming too. "Uh huh," she said, "A Daddy, Daughter (and Ethan) Date!" 

We are taking the 1 hour double decker 197 to Jurong to check out the new JEM mall. It's a great time to take the bus since it is empty and quiet (until we got on board). We get the front seats on the double decker which is a wonderful view. Talia is doing well with her new glasses and Ethan his showing his new missing teeth feature! 

Talia's First Spectacles

Today Talia has her eyes tested for the first time. We say that her
eyes are from Mummy cos they are big and round, but her eyeballs are
from Daddy because their aberrations have resulted in the same 3.50
astigmatism that beloved Dad had when he was a child. We are hoping
she still looks more pretty than googly after these glasses.

Flyer

Marina and River Boating

Marina and River Boating

Marina and River Boating

Marina and River Boating

Ethan's Shinkansen

Ethan loves his train toys! Yesterday we had a huge train party and today he rebuilt Te tracks. This is another rebuild with Daddy making a 2 storey overhead and Ethan innovating a long train with multiple engines! The video is taken by the train maestro himself!

Yet Another Train Journey

Daddy and Ethan took yet another KTM train journey, our fourth thus far. Ethan is now old enough to call it a father-son trip, and was expectantly looking forward to it. He sang about what would happen, how boys would be with boys and the girls would have their own mother-daughter outing.

That day he asked 100 times when we were going to train station. Mum and Talia left for Bollywood-Veggies early in the morning so we had the day together as well. We filled it with lunch at Marche and the afternoon working in Daddy's office before setting off in the evening.

 

"Daddy, I think this KTM train is nice but it's a little old," he said when we boarded. I assured Ethan that it was the same as the other KTM trains we took but because he had just been on the JR Kyushu trains, the Malaysian ones looked old!

We happily ate dinner in the sleeping bunk as the train left Woodlands at 7.00pm sharp. After chatting, reading, snacking, and exploring Ethan was tired but not wanting to sleep. Fortunately Daddy recognized the symptoms and enforced story and bedtime. After that, all was quiet and Ethan slept till morning.

At 6.45am I was awoken with an excited yell, "Daddy, we're still on the train!" This is how Ethan always wakes up the KTM sleeper - happy and bubbly! We munched on biscuits while waiting for our stop. Daddy discovered that our train was an hour behind schedule, so we got off early at Dabong rather than at Kuala Krai so we wouldn't miss the return train home.

One iced milo, two tea tarikh, and two roti cenai later we were refueled. After restocking drinks and packing lunch we were back waiting for the train.

Daddy noticed a new poster for a new train (Malayan Tiger Train) that supposedly started in Jan 2012 running between Johor Sentral an Tumpat. The sleeper berths are a new design and they look nice. Daddy will have to check it out for a future train trip. Since we are getting quite accustomed to these trips, we also need to raise the bar a little. Daddy is thinking about bringing the Brompton, cycling around and staying in a simple hotel for the night before catching the return leg to Singapore -- two nights with cycling and trains!!

We are now enjoying the scenery aboard the train. Lots of interesting rock formations rising out of the tropical rainforest here in northern Malaysia. It's almost time for our nasi lemak lunch, though Ethan has been snacking so much that we are both quite full.

I just discovered that JR Kyushu donated these decommissioned trains to Malaysia. I would have taken this on this recent trip if I had known. Will take next time with family. Can go from JB (not Singapore yet) to Wakaf Bahru (Khota Bahru). Great for overnight then homestay or Renaissance Hotel in Khota Bahru! :) Japan also donated trains to Thailand so I gotta figure out whether these trains are running there yet!

If you watch this youtube video all the way to the end, the contrast between the last carriage showing Malaysian culture and the rest is quite funny! :)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqJrIdXXPK8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Earlier today I discovered that there is a new train running on this line, the "Malayan Tiger Train.". I googled it after I got home. Imagine my pleasant surprise to discover the train itself was a donation from Japan! To be exact, it is the blue train from JR Kyushu that used to run between Tokyo and Kyushu. Now renamed as the Malayan Tiger Train, it runs on the East line between Johor Bahru and Tumpat!

Ethan always has such a wonderful time on these trips, and he is now becoming more aware that his Dadday makes special effort to spend time with him on these outings. I think he is very grateful, though of course he cant express it in words. A super big hug, lots of "I love you Daddy!" makes it so worthwhile. Plus of course we know that we're building strong foundations of memories for the future!